Carrying me
by StylinShrimp
Summary: Songfic to "Soul Mate" by Scarlet's Web (found at mp3.com). Tie in to "Aftermath"...just a nice Sonic/Tails friendship fic.


1 Carrying me  
  
"Beneath the surface of your smile  
  
Some wounds are hiding  
  
I'll never know, you'll never say  
  
What you are fighting  
  
You leave emotions on an imaginary shelf  
  
And the pain you're feeling, you inflict upon yourself"  
  
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"What do you want?"  
  
Tails recoiled a little at Sonic's question, the tone being his first sign that Sonic really didn't want him around right now. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he looked down at Sonic, sitting on the bench outside the restaurant, and answered.  
  
"I…I just wanted to see how you were. You left in quite a hurry."  
  
"Tails, how long have you known me?" Sonic looked up at Tails from his place on the bench and grinned, "I always leave places in a hurry."  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
Sonic looked away quickly and pulled his knees to his chest. "Yeah." The hedgehog grumbled.  
  
Tails didn't know what to make of Sonic's behavior. Earlier in the evening, during a celebration dinner with Knuckles and Rouge, he had been fine. In fact, he seemed much better now that he was away from Shadow's memorial. But when Knuckles asked again about what happened when Eggman took Sonic away from the memorial to talk, Sonic mumbled incoherently and ran off.  
  
At the moment, it didn't seem like there was too much for Tails to do right now. So he looked down at Sonic and asked meekly:  
  
"Do you want me to go?"  
  
Sonic looked up at the young fox. The pleading and vulnerability in his eyes sharply contrasted the gentle grin on his face.  
  
"No, just…just stay with me. Please."  
  
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"When you're alone, when you are scared  
  
I lay there shaking  
  
I long for you to find the piece  
  
That something's taking  
  
You dream in color, but only see in black and white  
  
It's in the pain that come and haunts you in the night"  
  
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Tails eventually lost track of how long he and Sonic were sitting together. An hour. Two. He could feel the early evening air gradually getting cooler around him, the occasional breeze ruffling his fur. Every so often, Tails would look over at his hedgehog friend, carefully watching for any change, and anxiously waiting for Sonic to express himself. But the cobalt hedgehog refused to say anything, for one reason or other, so Tails was left trying to figure out this mystery himself.  
  
He knew it had something to do with the conversation he and Eggman had earlier. But when Eggman had offered for them to permanently join forces, Sonic confidently turned him down, even going so far as to laugh in his face. What was wrong with that?  
  
"I don't deserve to have you here."  
  
Tails quickly whipped his head toward Sonic as he mumbled this.  
  
"What?" Tails asked with a confused look.  
  
Sonic looked briefly at his young friend, then back down at his feet.  
  
"I sometimes wonder why you look up to me so much." Sonic said cryptically, "I can certainly think of better role models. But me…it's like everything I do is golden. And it really isn't. I just run around."  
  
Tails looked at Sonic with concern. In all the years they had known each other, Sonic had never acted like this. Sonic was always the confident, self-assured one, and Tails was the meeker, unsure one. Now he saw a rare moment in which Sonic seemed the meek one.  
  
"What are you trying to say?" Tails asked quietly.  
  
Sonic looked up and shook his head, as if coming out of a trance, and smiled faintly. "Nothing…you don't need to worry about me."  
  
Tails furrowed his brow for a second, then looked down, trying to figure out the exchange they had just shared. He knew Sonic had felt low, but this…  
  
All the sudden, without thinking, Tails stood up. Twisting his tails together, he attempted to make use of a skill he hadn't needed for a while: flying. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sonic look at him in surprise as Tails slowly lifted off the ground. Once he was in the air, he looked at Sonic and offered his hand. Sonic looked at his hand, then up at Tails.  
  
"It's been a while buddy. You sure you can still carry me?"  
  
Tails smiled and nodded. "Wherever you want to go."  
  
Sonic smiled broadly with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, remembering the days when Tails lifting him into the air was a common occurrence. He linked hands with Tails tightly and felt his body lift into the air, his feet leaving the ground and dangling beneath.  
  
The pair flew into the skies, Sonic relishing in the feeling of the air moving all around him. The sun was just starting to set, and Sonic could feel the twilight sun on his face. It was pure bliss.  
  
Tails looked down at Sonic, grinning serenely, and smiled. It felt good to carry his friend again.  
  
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Give me your word, and I'll give you my hand  
  
I'll carry you through this unfamiliar land  
  
Cover your eyes, there's no time to wait  
  
Follow my lead, and I'll be your soul mate 


End file.
